Liquid dispensing closure

ABSTRACT

A liquid dispensing closure for bottles and the like comprising a one-piece body having an end wall for covering the mouth of the bottle and a depending skirt for threading onto the neck of the bottle. A dispensing aperture in the end wall is surrounded by a spout that affords directional control of a stream of liquid being dispensed and reduced dribbling when dispensing is discontinued. A flap is hinged on the end wall to open and close the aperture with an associated depending plug that fits in the spout. The end wall, spout and hinged flap are arranged in a manner relative to one another that permits the flap to be advantageously molded in an upright position.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 09/974,484, filedOct. 10, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,510,971.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to dispensing closures for containers and, inparticular, to dispensing closures for liquids.

Prior Art

Injection-molded thermoplastic closures are well-known in the packageindustry. A popular style of such closures is shown, for example, inU.S. Pat. Nos. 4,693,399, 4,936,494 and 5,330,082. These closures or“caps”, typically, are arranged to screw onto a container and have oneor more flaps for selectively closing and opening a dispensing aperturein an end wall extending across the mouth of the container. Generally,closures of this type are used for dry granular or particulatematerials.

It is known to construct dispensing closures for liquids, for example,from U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,503, but generally their designs havelimitations in their utility and/or in the costs and ease ofmanufacture. Typically, the contents are dispensed by tilting thecontainer fitted with the closure, although some applications caninvolve discharge of the contents where the container is squeezed or thecontents are otherwise pressurized.

It is desirable that a liquid dispensing cap have a spout that givesdirectional control to the discharge stream and that projects fromsurrounding surface areas to reduce dribbling when dispensing flow isinterrupted.

For economy of manufacture and convenience to the user, it is desirablethat the flap or cover that closes the dispensing aperture be moldedintegrally with the main body of the cap and be connected to the bodywith an integral living or flexible hinge. For manufacturing economies,it is desirable that the flap be molded in a 90° position relative tothe end wall of the cap. This condition is preferred because arelatively large number of parts can, as a result, be molded in a pressof a given size. An integral flap, a spout and a 90° flap moldingorientation have, until the present invention, been generally mutuallyincompatible features.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides an improved injection-molded one-piece dispensingclosure or cap particularly suited for dispensing liquids from acontainer or bottle on which the cap is assembled. A disclosed cap,constructed in accordance with the invention, has an axially orvertically extending spout that offers directional control of a streamof liquid being dispensed when the container on which the cap is fittedis tilted and a drip resistant structure that reduces dribbling when thebottle is turned upright. The cap includes an integral flap carried on aliving hinge. The flap has a projecting plug that fits into the spoutwith a fluid-tight seal. In a preferred configuration of the cap, an endwall that spans the mouth of the container and supports the dispensingspout is uniquely tilted or stepped from a horizontal reference plane,such as a plane represented by a sealing surface area of the cap thatengages the mouth of a container. This inclined or stepped plane of theend wall surrounding the spout enables the cap to be practically moldedwith limited complexity in the tooling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of a capconstructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the cap of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the cap of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a greatly enlarged cross-sectional view of the hinge portionof the cap;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the cap of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the cap of FIG. 1 taken in avertical plane through the center of the cap;

FIG. 5a is an enlarged fragmentary view of the cap corresponding to anarea of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view of the cap ofFIG. 1 showing a flap plug in fluid-tight sealing engagement with a pourspout;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged front perspective view of a second embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of a dispensingspout of the cap of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a somewhat schematic, fragmentary cross-sectional view oftooling elements for forming the cap of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-6 illustrate a first embodimentof the invention in the form of a liquid dispensing closure or cap 10.The cap 10 is preferably formed as an integral or one-pieceinjection-molded product of a suitable thermoplastic material such aspolypropylene or other material well-known in the art. It will beunderstood that ordinarily a cap is installed upright on the top of acontainer or bottle 11 (FIG. 5) with a mouth 12 that typically lies in ahorizontal plane. In the present context, the vertical directiongenerally corresponds to an axial direction with reference to thegeometry of the cap 10 and the horizontal direction or a horizontalplane will be understood to be perpendicular to the axial direction ofthe cap, i.e. the vertical direction. It will be understood that duringmolding, discussed below, the cap can have a non-upright orientation butthis same reference terminology will be used.

The cap 10 (FIG. 1) has an end wall 13 which, in the illustrated case,comprises an inclined central deck area 14 and lateral transition areas17. A generally cylindrical hollow or tubular skirt 18 depends from theend wall 13. The interior of the skirt 18 is formed with inwardlyprojecting screw threads 19 (FIG. 5), adapted to engage complementarythreads 21 on the neck 22 of the bottle 11. The exterior of the skirt 18can be smooth or provided with small vertical grooves or other textureto improve its ability to be gripped by a person's fingers.

A flap or lid 26 is pivotally joined to the end wall 13 by a livinghinge 27 that lies in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the cap'scylindrical skirt 18 and has a chordal orientation with respect to theprojected or plan area of the end wall 13. The hinge 27 is a relativelythin wall area that is capable of flexing without breaking throughoutthe expected service life of the cap 10. The hinge 27, preferably,although not necessarily, is characterized by a small indentation orV-shaped notch 30 preferably running the full length of the hinge. Thenotch 30 forms a weakened area in the compression side of the hinge 27so that the hinge will fold at precisely the same location from cap tocap, thus assuring repeatability of performance.

The inclined deck 14 of the end wall 13 has a pear-shaped dispensingopening 28 with its narrow end proximal to the hinge 27 and its majorend distal from the hinge. Preferably, but not necessarily, the openingor aperture 28 is, in an end or plan view of the cap 10, symmetricalabout a longitudinal axis that lies in a plane perpendicular to thehinge and is centered laterally in the cap. A spout 29 forms theboundary of the opening 28. The spout 29 stands vertically or axially upfrom the end wall 13. In the illustrated example, the spout has itsgreatest axial extension or height above the end wall central deck 14 ata major end 31 of the dispensing opening distal from the hinge. Thisheight is, preferably, about at least twice the nominal wall thicknessof the cap. The illustrated cap with a 38 mm nominal diameter has anominal wall thickness of 0.050 in. At a minor proximal end 32 (relativeto the hinge) of the dispensing opening, the spout 29 merges into theplane of the upper or exterior surface of the end wall so that it has noheight above the end wall in this area. However, if desired, the spoutcould extend above the end wall at this location as will be appreciatedfrom an understanding of the discussion below. Preferably, although notnecessarily, as shown, an upper edge 33 of the spout 29 lies in ahorizontal plane. A pair of axially spaced sealing ribs 34 extendcontinuously along the inner periphery of the spout 29 parallel to theplane of the upper edge 33. The wall forming,the spout 29 dependssomewhat below the plane of the end wall at the minor end 32 of theopening 28 to provide adequate axial space for the sealing beads 34. Asshown, wall areas of the spout 29 are generally vertically or axiallyoriented apart from any necessary or desired draft.

The flap 26 has a generally rectangular profile in plan view (whenclosed) and is somewhat hood-shaped at its distal end (with reference tothe hinge 27). Located on the underside of the flap 26 is a dependingwall 37 having a curvilinear configuration that is complimentary to thedispensing aperture or opening 28 and the interior of the spout 29. Thewall 37, with a portion 38 of the flap 28 it circumscribes, forms ahollow plug capable of closing the aperture 28 in a fluid-tight manner.More specifically, when the flap 26 is closed against or adjacent theend wall 13 the depending plug wall 37 enters the spout 29 and itsoutside surface is engaged by the sealing beads or ribs 34 with afluid-tight engagement. The wall 37 may be beveled at its lower outeredge to assist in closing action when it is pressed into the spout 29.Projecting rib segments 41 on the outer surface of the plug wall 37 arepositioned and proportioned to snap into the vertical or axial spacebetween the sealing beads 34 to frictionally releasably hold the flap 26in a closed position by an interference fit between the upper bead 34and the ribs 41 (FIG. 6).

A shallow recess 42 is molded in the skirt 18 diametrically opposite thehinge 27 to afford a finger or fingernail grip under the distal edge ofthe flap. Moderate upward pressure applied to the underside of the flap26 will overcome the retention forces of the ribs 41 and sealing bead 34and friction between the plug wall 37 and the sealing beads 34.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 5a, the illustrated cap 10 has on theunderside of its end wall 13 a peripheral circumferentially continuousannular surface 43 lying in a horizontal or radial plane and an axiallydepending lip 44. The lip or wall 44 can be beveled slightly so that itbecomes radially smaller with distance from the end wall 13. Thedepending lip or wall 44 is situated and proportioned on the end wall 13so that when the cap 10 is fully tightened on a bottle 11, it fits intothe mouth 12 of the bottle in a plug-like manner to effect a fluid-tightseal with an inner surface of the mouth 12. This plug-like constructionis particularly suited for use with an injection blow molded plasticbottle. Alternatively, the lip 44 can be omitted and the annular surface43 can effect a seal on the upper edge of the bottle mouth 12. Ifdesired, a sealing membrane such an induction seal liner known in theart can be interposed across the mouth 12 and pressed between thesurface 43 and the upper edge of the bottle mouth.

The aperture 28 and spout 29 are particularly useful for dispensingliquids from a container. The aperture/spout geometry allows highdischarge rates without glugging. This is achieved by the relativelyhigh location of the proximal or minor end of the aperture 28 whichreadily admits air into the container to replace the volume of liquidthat is being discharged without a great risk that the liquid will riseabove this end of the aperture as the container is tilted fordispensing. The spout 29, additionally, serves to confine a stream ofliquid being dispensed so that it affords good directional control.Further, the spout 29 serves to reduce dribbling when the container isup-righted to discontinue dispensing.

FIG. 9 schematically illustrates tooling for injection-molding the cap10. The tooling elements include a core 51 through which the cavityforming the cap 10 is gated. The cap skirt 18 is surrounded by a cavityblock 52. The upper face of the flap 26 and adjacent portions of the endwall 13 are formed by the cavity block 52. A major portion of the endwall 13 and peripheral portions of the underside of the flap includingthe outward sides of the plug wall 37 are formed by a master slide 54.The upper edge 33 and the interior surfaces of the spout 29 are formedby a primary subslide 55. The inner surface of the plug wall 37 and theincluded underside surface of the flap area 38 are formed by a secondarysubslide 53.

The core 51, cavity block 52, master slide 54, primary subslide 55 andsecondary subslide 53 are positioned relative to one another as shown inFIG. 9 at the beginning of a molding cycle. When molten thermoplasticmaterial forming the cap has been injected into the mold cavity spacebounded by these tooling elements and has solidified sufficiently, theseelements are separated from the cap surfaces to release the cap. Thesubslides 55 and 53 are carried on and move in short transnationalstrokes relative to the master slide 54. The master slide 54 moveslaterally with respect to the molding machine platen and axis of the cap10; the primary subslide 55 moves perpendicularly to the master slidemovement and the secondary subslide moves parallel to the master slidemovement. Suitable devices well known in the art including connectinglinks, cams, springs and piston and cylinder actuators responsive to theopening movement of the molding machine platen are used to produce thefollowing sequence of movement of the tooling elements. First, thesubslide 55 is retracted in the axial or upward direction as shown inFIG. 9 into the main or master slide 54 so that it moves completely outof the spout 29 and opening 28. At the same time, the secondary subslide53 retracts laterally to clear the plug wall 37. Next, the main slide 54moves laterally horizontally to the left in FIG. 9 carrying the primarysubslide 55 and secondary subslide 53 with it. Note that the cap moldingsurface areas 58 of the main slide adjacent the hinge 27 lie axiallyabove the upper edge 33 of the spout 29 so that there is no interferencebetween these bodies which would prevent this lateral motion. Thisgeometry may be achieved by slanting the deck 14 as shown or by steppingthis area so that it has a higher elevation adjacent the hinge than atthe area of the spout. The main slide 54 is caused to move laterally adistance away from the flap 26 sufficient to completely withdraw itssurfaces that form the underside of the flap out of any recesses of theflap. Thereafter, the cavity block 52, carrying the main slide 54 andthe subslide 55 is moved axially away from the core 51 to free the cap10 for stripping from the core 51. The dashed lines in FIG. 1 indicatethe parting lines between the primary subslide 55 and master slide 54.The sequence of movement of the tooling parts is reversed from thatdescribed above when the mold is closed for the next molding cycle. Themaster slide 54 and secondary subslide 53 provide for escape of airbetween their mating surfaces to ensure a complete filling of the moldcavity zone forming the plug wall 37.

From the foregoing discussion and reference to FIG. 9, it will be seenthat the cap 10 can be advantageously molded with the flap open (at aposition that is generally parallel to the axis of the cap 10 orperpendicular to the plane of a sealing surface area 43 or 44) and withthe axially extending spout 29. By molding the cap 10 with the flap 26open, the hydraulic forces and area needed on the molding machine arereduced and, therefore, more cavities can be provided on a given tonnagecapacity molding machine.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention. In thisembodiment, parts corresponding to like parts in the embodiment of FIGS.1-6 have been identified with the same numerals. A dispensing aperture60 is disposed in the end wall 13. The aperture 60 is relatively smalland is preferably circular in form. A circular spout 61 surrounds theaperture 60 and extends upwardly from the end wall 13. The spout 61 isgenerally cylindrical in form but may have external or internal draftangles if desired. The spout 61 has an internal seal bead 62 extendingcircumferentially along an inner surface 63 of the spout (FIG. 8). Theflap 26 has a hollow cylindrical plug 66 arranged to fit into the spout61 when the flap 26 is closed. The plug 66 is dimensioned to fit intothe sealing bead 62 with sufficient interference to provide afluid-tight seal therebetween. A cylindrical skirt 67 on the flap 26 isconcentric with the plug 66 and is proportioned to fit snuggly over thespout 61 to provide a secondary, preferably fluid tight, seal for theaperture 60 when the flap 26 is closed onto the end wall 13. The cap 59of FIGS. 7 and 8 can be molded with the same tooling arrangementdescribed in connection with FIG. 9. The dotted lines in FIG. 7represent the parting lines between a subslide and a main slide. The cap59 can be used with viscous liquids and/or squeezable containers.

While the invention has been shown and described with respect toparticular embodiments thereof, this is for the purpose of illustrationrather than limitation, and other variations and modifications of thespecific embodiments herein shown and described will be apparent tothose skilled in the art all within the intended spirit and scope of theinvention. For example, the invention can be employed with closures thathave other configurations in plan view, besides round, such as square,rectangular, or oval. The closure can be attached to a container, otherthan by screw threads, such as by a push-on or push-in fit or by anadhesive or welding process. The aperture in the end wall can, ifdesired or necessary, be smaller in cross-section than thecross-sectional area of the spout. Accordingly, the patent is not to belimited in scope and effect to the specific embodiments herein shown anddescribed nor in any other way that is inconsistent with the extent towhich the progress in the art has been advanced by the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of producing a liquid dispensingone-piece closure having as parts an end wall, a dispensing aperturethrough the end wall and a spout extending upwardly from the end wall, aperipheral skirt for attaching the closure to a container and a flapintegrally attached to the top of the end wall by a living hinge forcovering and uncovering the spout for dispensing comprising assemblingmold elements to form a cavity to mold the parts of said one-piececlosure, the mold cavity elements including a master slide and asubslide carried in the master slide, using the subslide to form theinterior of the spout and the master slide to form an underside of theflap in an upstanding orientation generally perpendicular to the endwall and a portion of an upper side of the end wall situated between thespout and hinge, releasing the one-piece closure from the mold cavity bymoving the subslide out of the spout and thereafter moving the masterslide, carrying the subslide, away from the upstanding flap.
 2. A methodas set forth in claim 1, wherein the hinge is formed at a level above anupper edge of the spout.
 3. A method as set forth in claim 2, includingforming a projecting wall on the underside of the flap adapted to engagesurface areas on the spout.
 4. A method as set forth in claim 3, whereinthe projecting wall on the flap is arranged to enter the spout.
 5. Amethod as set forth in claim 4, wherein the projecting wall is partiallyformed by a second subslide carried by said master slide and partiallyby said master slide, said second subslide being moved in the slidedirection of the master slide relative to the master slide.
 6. A methodas set forth in claim 1, wherein the end wall is formed on its undersidewith a container engaging surface extending in a horizontal plane andthe upper surface of the end wall is formed at different levels, thelevel adjacent the hinge being higher than the level remote from thehinge.